Creating Extension Programs for Change: Forest Landowners and Climate Change Communication

Abstract

The Cooperative Extension Service in the United States can play an important role in educating forest landowners to improve forest resilience in the face of climatic uncertainty. Two focus groups in Florida informed the development of a program that was conducted in Leon County; presurveys and postsurveys and observation provided evaluation data. The Reasonable Person Model (RPM) was a helpful framework for developing the program and explaining results. Landowners desired more information in order to manage their forests in light of climate change after the program than before.